Pochettino calls for patience in Spurs’ quest for trophies
Mauricio Pochettino has called for patience in Tottenham's pursuit of silverware.
The north London side crashed out of the Europa League to Gent on Thursday night and ahead of Sunday’s welcome of Stoke, sit 13 points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea.
The FA Cup looks to be Spurs’ be chance of glory, with a 3-0 win at Fulham last weekend setting up a quarter final meeting with London rivals Millwall next month.
Pochettino has overseen significant improvements since taking charge of Spurs and believes they are on the right path to glory and considered the ongoing construction of the club’s new stadium as a metaphor for the work going on at the club.
“We have pushed the expectations higher because last season we were there – second, third in the league – and that is good,” Pochettino told the Guardian.
“But my question is maybe we are not ready [in terms of trophies]. It’s like the stadium: if we want to move today, we are not ready to play there. We need to wait, to build the foundations. It’s always a problem, to be patient, to arrive.
“The important thing is the club. Our chairman has built the foundation – new facilities on the training ground, a new stadium to help to be a better team and a bigger club. We are on the way to building one of the best clubs in Europe. But we must be patient.”
Pochettino is keen to strengthen the squad in the summer, though admits Spurs need to be “clever” in the transfer market, adding: “Football is about quality and being clever. It’s always about improving. We must add quality to the team if we want to fight for big things. And we will try. It’s our job to find the right profile and player that can play for us.”
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The top 11 can beat the best teams on the best day but clearly don't have the depth of the other top 6 clubs. Particularly Chelsea, Man U, and Man City. Liverpool and them are on similar ground in that way. Doesn't help when your most expensive summer signing has been Sissoko. That 30 mil sure could have been spent better. Whiffed in terms of immediate impact for 3/4 signings in general though Wanyama has been excellent. If they can hit on those signings would be much better fit to compete on multiple fronts and handle an injury or two. Next year could be rough considering how poorly they've played at Wimbley though. Especially considering how great they've been at home.